The History of Halloween -- Part I

I fondly remember celebrating Halloween as a child. It was, and still is, my favorite "holiday". Although not officially a holiday, Americans have celebrated Halloween for a number of years. This is the beginning of a series of articles I am going to write that will cover the history of Halloween simply because I love this time of year and have always been fascinated by the holidays.

Halloween (also spelled Hallowe'en) has been celebrated on October 31st for as long as it has been around. It has it's roots in Samhain, a Celtic festival celebrating the harvest and the end of summer. This was a time to take stock of their supplies and to slaughter livestock for the winter stores. Halloween is mostly a secular celebration but many Christians and pagans have expressed very strong feelings as to the days religious meaning.

The traditions we associate with Halloween today were mostly carried to us by Irish immigrants escaping the potato famine of 1846. It is a day that is associated with the colors black and orange as well as symbols such as the jack-o-lantern.

Celtic pagans believed that on October 31st, the boundary between the living and the dead was very thin and the souls of the dead were free to walk the land of the living and cause no end of problems. The tradition of wearing costumes goes back to the Celtic pagans who would wear them to placate their ancestors or confuse evil spirits.

Mystical Charm hopes you have a wonderful holiday season. We are very excited for the Fall season to begin and wish you and yours a wonderful harvest.